Handicraft items from banana fiber in Kaligandaki

Waling (Syangja), Feb 24: Kaligandaki Rural Municipality of Syangja has been producing handicraft items from banana fiber.

The rural municipality has been manufacturing handicraft items in partnership with Gandaki province through a project related to the commercial utilization of local raw materials under the Innovation Partnership Agriculture Program.

The manufacturing is being done with 70 percent investment from the province and 30 percent from the rural municipality on cost sharing. Anup Poudel, agriculture officer of the rural municipality, said the project provided 45 days of training to make handicraft items to enhance commercialization.

He said that banana plants have been provided free of cost to the farmers as the banana stems are required as raw material for fiber. “Banana stem is required for fiber; it is processed, and the rope is made,” he said, adding, “Out of the 45-day training, seven daily wage women are now regularly making handicraft items.”

He said that after taking the produce from the bananas planted by the farmers, the municipality buys the wasted bananas by paying a fixed price. The rural municipality distributed 20,000 banana seedlings free of cost to the farmers in the municipality based on demand.

The rural municipality has been purchasing per piece from Rs 25 to Rs 45. Khim Bahadur Thapa, chairperson of the rural municipality, said that various handicraft items have been made by processing the banana stalks.—RSS